Light Sleeper is the twelfth scenario of the Fall of the Trident campaign in Age of Mythology. The main objective is to return the Guardian's sword to its rightful owner, as soon as possible.
Summary
The heroes, escorted by some Slingers and Chariot Archers, exit the oasis from an unknown passage, heading towards a city. Here, a minor deity, known as the Guardian, is currently inactive.
The sword that has been unearthed from the Excavation in the previous scenario, The Lost Relic, is carried by a duo of Sword Bearers and belongs to the Guardian. The player's objective is to protect the Sword Bearers from Kemsyt's forces, amass forces to force their way through Kemsyt's defenses, return the sword to the Guardian, and beat Kemsyt's rampaging army.
Objectives
- Kill the guards watching over the Villagers mining gold. (Your Chariot Archers are strong against infantry units but vulnerable to Slingers.)
- Bring at least five Villagers safely to their Town Center. (Be prepared to protect your Villagers from dangers during the journey to their home to the south.)
- Bring the Sword Bearers to the Guardian, before Kemsyt's army reaches it. (Train an army strong enough to escort the Sword Bearers while you break into the city. The large winged Isis monuments block the use of God Powers near them. Destroy these monuments if you wish to use God Powers in these areas.)
- Use the Guardian to destroy Kemsyt's army. (The Guardian is powerful enough to fight Kemsyt's army alone.)
Players
Player
- Arkantos (Ra) - The player starts with all four heroes (Ajax, Amanra, Arkantos, and Chiron), some Slingers, a few Chariot Archers and the Sword Bearers, without a base, in the Archaic Age.
Allies
- Villages (Ra) - They are found in the canyon, to the south part of the map. After the town of Sepa is converted to the player's side, Kemsyt's Army will rampage through them, until it reaches the Guardian. They are in the Archaic Age, and have weak garrisons, consisting of either Spearmen, Slingers or Anubites.
Neutral
- Sepa (Ra) - A placeholder player that controls the village of Sepa. After the player reaches it, it is converted to the player's side.
- Desert Spirit (Set) - The Wonder found in the canyon after the mining camp belongs to this player. The player seems to serve no purpose, but is possibly connected to the Plague of Serpents trigger (see strategy section).
Enemies
- Kemsyt (Set) - The defenders of the Guardian (and of a Piece of Osiris), they have walled all passages and placed defenses, including a Migdol Stronghold. They train Animals of Set, Chariot Archers, some myth units (such as Wadjets) and Barracks units.
- Kemsyt (Set) - this player has some units defending the player's way to the Guardian, which consists of Spearmen (un-upgraded) and several Priests. Since they are on the Archaic Age (with no means of advancement), their Priests are not really a threat.
- Kemsyt (Isis) - Controls some Monuments on this map. As this player worships Isis, these negate god powers. They also control the Mummies that guard the canyon pass that leads to Sepa.
- Kemsyt (Set) - This players controls an enormous army, consisting of War Elephants (champion version), Spearmen, Scorpion Men and Avengers that is transversing the canyon on the south part of the map (visible to the player), rampaging allied villages until it reaches the Guardian.
- Enemy (Isis) - this player will spawn War Elephants (un-upgraded version) between the orange Kemsyt city gates to the west and the third village after the Sword bearers reach the Guardian. Their army will join red Kemsyt's main army as they enter the city. It is not necessary to eliminate this player.
Strategy
This guide is applied to hard difficulty. It is, of course, also applicable for the other grades of difficulty.
Freeing the Laborers
The player's forces begin at the northernmost part of the map. To the west lies a mining camp, where Kemsyt's forces have enslaved the locals, and have to be saved, by killing the Spearmen and Slinger guards. It is recommended to draw enemies with Heroes, then snipe them with Chariot Archers. Slingers should be temporarily left behind, as the enemy's Slingers can cause unnecessary casualties.
Note: Chariot Archers are highly valuable units in this scenario, thanks to their great range, so keep as many as possible alive.
Reaching Sepa
After the male Laborers are freed, the player must travel south, beyond a canyon, first next to a Wonder and later, through a river full of Crocodiles towards a village. As the player's army marches towards it, they will encounter Mummies just after the Wonder. Once again, the vanguard must be Heroes, as the Mummies can turn Laborers or soldiers into Minions.
After the Mummies are killed and the player starts approaching the exit to the river, Kemsyt will invoke a Plague of Serpents that covers much of the length of the canyon, from the Wonder, up to its exit. Ignore them; evacuate the Laborers, the Sword Bearers and the soldiers outside the canyon as fast as possible, and kill any pursuing cobras. Then, cross the river.
When you reach the Town Center of Sepa and the women of the village witness the return of their husbands, the entire town (including its Pharaoh) will come under your control. From this point on, the player must make haste to reach the Guradian.
Reaching the Guardian
To the northeast of Sepa, just outside the walled place where the Guardian and a Piece of Osiris lie, is Kemsyt's base, consisting of walled passes, beyond of which lie Monuments of Isis, Towers, a Migdol Stronghold and the defenders, consisting of Chariot Archers, Animals of Set, myth units and various Barracks units.
Build a Temple as fast as possible, advance to the Classical Age with Bast, and order your Laborers to gather as much resources as possible, as Kemsyt's army is on its way. A massive army is traversing the canyon on the south part of the map (visible to the player), rampaging allied villages until it reaches the Guardian. While holding back against enemy raids, gather as many resources as possible and advance to the Heroic Age.
The player can now choose from Sekhmet or Hathor; the former provides long-ranged Chariot Archers and boosted siege weapons, while the latter can give players access to Petsuchos to aid in penetrating enemy defenses. Unfortunately, if the player chooses the latter, Rocs are disabled in this scenario to prevent an easy victory.
Either way, after the Guardian awakens, use him to destroy Kemsyt's army and beat the scenario.
Loophole
- If the player is having trouble sending the Sword Bearers before Kemsyt's army reaches the Guardian, they can prematurely defeat Kemsyt's rampaging army. To do this, the player must select Ptah when advancing to the Classical Age then use shifting sands to transport Arkantos, a priest and at least one Laborer to the third village. From there, the player can build several towers on the third village and a Temple (use the initial priest to empower buildings for faster construction) and start training ten up to fifteen priests. Use Arkantos to lure a part of the rampaging army to the towers. The priests can take care of the myth units and use towers to eliminate the Champion Elephants. Repeat this procedure until Kemsyt's whole army (red) is completely wiped out. In case the priests die, the player may just train from the Temple built on the third village. Building a barracks and/ or a Migdol on the third village may also be a good idea, but don't train too much units on the third village since Kemsyt's red army is limited and you also need some population on the main base.
- If Kemsyt's army is prematurely defeated, the player can take his time to penetrate through Kemsyt's (orange) base and deliver the Sword Bearers to the Guardian. Once the Sword Bearers reach the Guardian, it will awaken and the player will immediately be victorious.
Trivia
- This scenario might have inspired the creation of the Age of Empires II scenario A Fallen Crown, as both are a race against time, involve holding against enemies while booming and amassing forces, and facing an enemy army that rampages through a weaker ally. Of course, Light Sleeper involves reaching a unit that can face that army, while A Fallen Crown is a regicide, as Yodit's army must kill Dagnajan.
Gallery
